*Friday Gerrit Cole and the Pirates signed a $6.75m deal for 2018. He's arbitration-eligible in 2019 before hitting free agency.
*The Ringer: The Astros are not here for your World Series Curse talk.The Astros' lineup is already the most potent in the majors, and a rotation of Justin Verlandere, Dallas Keuchel, Cole, Lance McCullers, and World Series hero Charlie Morton is the best at least in the American League, if not all of baseball...As is, with likely long-term relievers Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz, corner infielder Colin Moran, and fringe outfield prospect Jason Martin leaving the Astros' system, Luhnow has completed the steal of the off-season.

*FanGraphs (from Wednesday) has a piece on Cole's pitch usage in 2017.

*Richard Justice:So if Luhnow could add Cole for two seasons, he could shape a super rotation for 2018 and a really good one for 2019. To have Verlander, Cole and Keuchel lined up in the first three spots gives the Astros a group as good as almost any. And there's quality depth in Morton, McCullers, Brad Peacock and Collin McHugh....There may not be any perfect fits, but this one is close.

*NJ.com's Brendan Kuty talked to a scout who said Cole will benefit from a change of scenery.

*Sports Illustrated's Jon Tayler:All told, it's a disappointing return for Pittsburgh in exchange for a young, cost-controlled ace. Moran should help fill a persistent hole at the hot corner for a team that has been searching for a solution there since Pedro Alvarez went bust. But you can't help but feel that the Pirates could have done better, particularly given the expressed interest of the prospect-rich Yankees.

*Grant Brisbee: What the Astros and Pirates were thinking.If the return (for Pittsburgh) seems a little underwhelming, that's because it's not just what's coming back for an All-Star pitcher - it's what's coming back for an official white flag.

*Pirates GM Neal Huntington:It's the balance of immediate and moderate and longer-term...we felt this was the right move to get these players that are major-league ready with 15 years contribution combined.

*FanRag's Jon Bernhardt:Could the deal turn out okay for Pittsburgh? Sure, if a bunch of things break right. The point of trading a surefire guy like Cole, though, is to get a return in which you don't have to hit maximum upside on every single guy for the deal to be positive.

*Bregman:I only have one goal, and that's to win the World Series again and bring it back to Houston. And hopefully, bring a lot of these in the near future to this city and turn Houston into the next powerhouse in baseball.

*Washington Post:With Cole now out of the picture, and few other front-line starting pitchers on the trade market, the Yankees may be forced to revisit the free agent market and fork over a nine-figure contract to the likes of Yu Darvish or Jake Arrieta. Such a move would allow them to answer the Astros' deal for Cole, but would also push their payroll past the $197m luxury-tax threshold that they seem determined to stay under.

*Lance McCullers will revamp his changeup in Spring Training and work on his four-seam fastball with Justin Verlander. Also in that link we find that Altuve, Keuchel, Justin Verlander, and Derek Fisher are already working out in Florida. Pitchers and Catchers have their first official workout one month from today.

If the Pirates put Musgrove and Feliz in their rotation and start Moran at 3rd right away, we'll all be proven wrong. All 3 are virtual locks for the OD 25 man roster. Doesn't mean the Astros can't come out on top, especially if they win another title, which is certainly plausible. For the Astros, it was about that one week in 2017 when 4 of the original starting 5 were on the DL. You needed more depth than it "seems" the Astros have.

That's why Pittsburgh made this deal. They got 3 players back that'll start on Opening Day 2018, at almost 100% cost certainty. Feliz and Musgrove have flashed dominance/brilliance, just never sustaining it. Maybe a year on a World Series winner will propel them to their former Top Prospect status. This time last year, we were all talking about Moran and hoping he could crack the lineup. He's ready for a full slate of MLB ABs..

Looks to be a good trade for both teams, but Astros didn't give up that much. Plus, it strengthened the Astros bullpen moving Peacock back there, and moved McHugh a decent SP to depth- overall much better for the Stros

It’s not the the package of players going to Pittsburgh is terrible.....it’s more that they were all spare pieces in Houston, and to bundle them up and get back a valuable asset is something that often proposed on sports talk radio but almost never happens in real life.

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